Unexpected Problems
by Gremblin
Summary: Toad and Storm had met up the night after Jean Grey’s death. Things happened, things both silently agreed to forget about until something very unexpected and very problematic happened.


**Title:** Unexpected Problems

**Summary:** Toad and Storm had met up the night after Jean Grey's death. Things happened, things both silently agreed to forget about until something very unexpected and very problematic happened.

**Characters:** Toad, the X-Men, OC, OC.

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters are property of Marvel. I'm not making any money off of this.

**Author's Note:** I got this idea after reading a fanfic written by Ed's Tomato entitled "Passion Consumes". Go read that, and all her other fanfics. 'Cause her fanfics rock. But only after you've read and reviewed this. Because you WILL review.

This story is in no way connected to any of my other Toad stories. So those of you who have read my other ones, don't expect Emily to come bounding in all of a sudden. Because she won't.

0o0o0o0

Toad couldn't help but be amazed at the two little five-year-olds that ran around the Xavier mansion's backyard from his place, unseen, in the trees. They were happy and blissfully unaware of the turmoil their birth had first caused. All the adults involved had agreed that the two fraternal twins wouldn't be told what happened until they were mature enough to fully understand. They had never known him, their own father, for their own safety. But he knew them all too well. He came to see them every day in this same tree, and they were always outside playing. Toad sometimes thought that Xavier had something to do with it but didn't think much of it. He got to see his only two kids and that's all that mattered to him, even if he couldn't interact with them.

0o0o0o0

_**Five Years and Three Months Previous**_

Toad sat in a containment cell in the subbasement of the X-mansion. He had no idea why the X-men had suddenly captured him and forced him in there, but he knew how they had found him. SHE must have told Xavier despite her promise not to. He made a mental note to kill her, the first chance he got.

Cyclops came into the room where Toad was being contained with Wolverine and Xavier following close behind. Toad couldn't help but wonder where Storm was, having thought that she would have wanted to see him chained and helpless before her. The X-Men had gotten their hands on a power dampening collar and put it around his neck, making him unable to use any of his powers to free himself. So he was quite literally at their mercy.

"Do you know why you are here, Mr. Toynbee?" Xavier asked Toad. Toad rolled his eyes and scoffed in reply.

"I'm no telepath, Xavier. You are. As far as I know I woz jus' walkin' down the street an' Tweedle-dee an' Tweedle-dum over there ambushed me an' brough' me 'ere." Toad growled, motioning to Wolverine and Cyclops. Wolverine growled at Toad menacingly, but Toad didn't even flinch.

"You recall when you met up with Storm nine months ago?" Xavier asked Toad telepathically. Toad narrowed his eyes. So she had told Xavier where to find him. Yup, she was definitely being put on his personal hit list.

"Maybe." Toad replied, trying to figure out what was going on.

"You haven't seen nor heard from her since, no?" Xavier continued.

"No." Toad replied.

"You know what can happen when people engage in those kinds of activities, right?" Xavier asked Toad telepathically. Toad's eyes widened as a wave of fear swept through his body. He went forward towards Xavier as far as the chains attaching him to the wall would let him.

"We were safe." Toad growled.

"Not safe enough." Cyclops said. Storm walked in carrying two newborn babies. One was a boy, the other a girl. They were both asleep in Storm's arms. Toad would have thought nothing of it and demanded to be released, denied that they could possibly be his, but the little girl stopped him. There was no other man that could have had that child.

The little boy looked as normal as could be. He had chocolate coloured skin, and black hair with white streaks here and there. The boy was obviously Storm's son. The little girl was less lucky, however. Her skin had a slight green tint to it, not as deep as Toad's skin but Toad knew from personal experience that it would most likely darken as she got older. There was webbing between her fingers, and her hair was dark green.

"No." Toad said in an undertone. He fell to his knees, unable to believe what was before him. "No."

"We don't know if they're actually yours, Toad. But it's highly likely due to the girl's appearance." Xavier said quietly.

"Who else knows?" Toad asked quietly. "Mags can' be told." Toad said as he shook his head.

"I'm already aware of the fact, Toad. And you can trust me when I say that you will become their sole parent and guardian." Magneto stormed into the room, releasing Toad from the chains that held him to the wall and the collar stopping him from using his powers. "They will become valuable members of the brotherhood and be raised as true mutant kind should." Magneto glared at Xavier, then gave Storm a seething look.

"Eric, you can't be seriously thinking of taking them away from their mother!" Xavier hissed.

"How'd you get past the mansion defenses?" Cyclops demanded.

"My dear boy. You called those toys defenses?" Magneto laughed. Toad couldn't help but smile.

"Eric, I'm not going to allow you to separate those children from their mother." Xavier said adamantly.

"Boss, I 'ate ta do this, bu' 'e's righ'. 'Avein' two lil' kid's 'round th' base would make it real 'ard ta concentrate." Toad could believe that he was siding with Xavier on something.

Magneto looked at Toad as if he had just tried to kill him. Magneto finished with a glare at everyone in the room individually before stalking out with a swish of his cape behind him.

"I must say I'm amazed Toad." Xavier said once Magneto was out of earshot.

"Yeah, save it. I'm on'y thinkin' 'bout me sanity." Toad growled before sitting down on the floor. He had thought about following Magneto out but knew that he wouldn't get two steps before Cyclops and Wolverine stopped him.

_**Four months Later**_

Storm and Toad sat outside the X-mansion quietly. Each of them were holding one of their children, Toad holding the girl and Storm holding the boy. Xavier had allowed Toad to stay there only so that Magneto didn't kill him for his 'betrayal'. Toad had tried to leave, only to find Sabertooth waiting not far away ready to kill him. Needless to say Toad had promptly run back to the X-mansion.

No one had been less happy about Toad having to stay there than Toad, but Xavier had taken full advantage of it. He had said that seeing as Toad had come willingly there was no worry of him running away. He had also said that if Toad wanted to stay he'd be given strict rules that he would have to live by – the first being that he wasn't allowed to have any kind of alcoholic drink on the school grounds. The second was that as long as he was staying he'd have to help Storm in the upbringing of the two children.

Toad didn't tell anyone this, but he secretly did want to help take care of the two children. He sometimes found himself thinking about a house in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere, taking care of the two children. Of course storm wouldn't live with him as they could just barely stand each other, but she'd visit regularly and have her own room.

But he knew that would never happen. They'd be raised here at the X-Mansion with their mother, and him nowhere in sight. He'd be stripped of his visiting rights because of his status as a 'dangerous wanted terrorist' faster than he could blink. No one would argue his case, as no one would want him to see his only two children. It would be 'for their own good'.

"Toad?" Toad was snapped out of his daydreams as Storm started talking to him.

"Yeah?" Toad looked up at her slowly.

"Can you take Iggy for me? I need to go inside for a moment." Storm asked him. He looked at her carefully before nodding. Iggy was the name they had agreed on for the boy, as Storm had told everyone that despite the fact they didn't like it Toad had a right to have a say in what the boy would be named. They had named the girl Ayanna.

Storm handed Iggy to Toad before continuing inside. Both infants were asleep and Toad hoped that they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. They could be really loud when they were awake, and somehow Storm was always 'busy' when they were awake.

_** That Night **_

The X-mansion was virtually empty except for Xavier himself and a few students. Many of the X-men were away on a mission of some sort, including Storm, which left Toad to put his two infant children to sleep for the first time by himself. He had been determined to stay detached, sure that it was only a matter of time before he wasn't allowed to see them anymore and kicked out. He knew it was simply a matter of time.

Toad had put the two in the crib that they shared, gotten two bottles ready with the help of one of the few students that didn't mind him, and was waiting for them to go to sleep.

Apparently the two children didn't know this.

They played tug of war with their blankets, kicked each other (which Toad knew would have to be stopped soon if the girl got the same powers Toad had) and did everything but calm down.

Toad looked through at his two children helplessly. He knew what Storm did to get them to calm down, but he didn't want to do it. He hadn't done this since he was young, and even then it was when he was all alone without any risk of someone hearing him.

Toad jumped up and over to the door in one quick leap. He looked both ways down the hallway before shutting and locking the door behind him and making his way over to the crib. He separated the two infants, laid them down on opposite ends of their crib, passed them their bottles, and cleared his throat.

"_Golden slumber kiss yer eyes,  
Smiles awai' yeh when yeh rise.  
Sleep,  
pretty baby,  
Do not cry,  
An' I'll sing yeh a lullaby._

Care you know not,  
Therefore sleep,  
While I o'er yer watch do keep.  
Sleep,  
pretty darling,  
Do not cry,  
And I'll sing a lullaby."

Toad sang the only lullaby he knew, from his time at the orphanage he had been at as a child. He looked at the two now-sleeping infants through grateful eyes. He didn't know when it happened, but at some time he fell asleep sitting there leaning up against Storm's bed. He awoke, however, to see Storm kneeling beside him at some early hour of the morning with a kind grin on her face. The two infants were still fast asleep in their crib.

_** One Month Later **_

Toad found himself looking out a window of the X-mansion. He knew it was of great risk to himself but didn't care. Today was the day he had been waiting for, only not at the same time. Magneto had tried to gain custody of the two children. He claimed it was so that the children would be raised the way true mutants should. Toad would have gone to the courthouse, but being a wanted terrorist had prevented him from doing that.

A black car drove down the X-mansion's driveway. When they stopped Storm, Jean Grey, Professor Xavier, and Cyclops came out of it, with Storm and Jean each holding one of the infants. Toad tried to figure out what had been decided from the looks on their faces but couldn't.

/_Toad, could you meet me in my office/_ Xavier asked Toad from outside telepathically. Toad couldn't help but shiver at the feeling as he silently left his place at the window and headed towards Xavier's office. He knew from Xavier's tone that it was anything but good.

_** Two Months Later **_

Toad had never before known just how cold the Canadian wilderness was. He also hadn't known that he'd be fighting to stay awake with the temperatures being this cold, an unfortunate side effect to his mutation. He sat wrapped in a thick blanket with his two children – now both seven months old and quite a handful – in the cellar. Above him he could hear the sounds of the cabin Xavier had sent him to hide away in with his two children. Magneto had told the human authorities Toad's whereabouts, and told the Hellions about Toad's two young children. So Xavier had sent Toad away to hide from the two groups until Xavier could smooth things over enough for him to return.

"He has to be here somewhere." An unknown voice said directly above him. He had concealed the entrance to the cellar with a mat in the center of the room, with a couch almost directly above it. Toad only hoped that the two frightened infants didn't make any noise.

"He can't have known we were coming." That voice Toad recognized. That was Pyro.

"Maybe he heard your lighter clicking." Toad couldn't help but smile at that and imagine the annoyed look on Pyro's face.

"Maybe he heard your stupidity." Pyro returned.

"Both of you shut up! I think I heard something!" Toad listened with fear in his chest as he listened to many feet running out of the house, then the sounds of a large-scale fight.

"Y'all can come out now, Toad." the trapdoor above him opened to reveal Rogue and Wolverine, with Storm and Nightcrawler not far off tying the now-unconscious intruders up. Toad passed Iggy and Ayanna up before climbing out himself.

"Why'd you hide? Scared of a few Hellions?" Wolverine sneered.

"Logan, they were carrying rounds with poison that not even you could survive from." Rogue said.

"Besides, I told him to hide should anything happen." Storm added.

"Look at it from zhe zheir point of view, herr Logan. Zhey vould not vant to see zheir own fahzer be killed." Nightcrawler pointed out. Meanwhile Toad ignored them all while Iggy and Ayanna cried in his arms and trembled in fear. Storm saw this and immediately went to help calm them down. Seeing their mother Iggy insisted that he be given to her. Toad didn't protest, but also didn't go very far. He still held Ayanna, who for some reason had always preferred being held by him. Everyone figured it was because of how they both had green skin.

"Shhh..." Toad tried to quiet her down, while Storm tried to calm Iggy down. Everyone else left.

_** One Year Later **_

Iggy and Ayanna each gripped one of Toad's legs as he attempted to leave. It was too dangerous for him to stay living near them, as now everyone was simply trying to get Toad. He didn't want to put either of them in danger because of him, so he had told Xavier he was leaving. He hadn't intended either of the children to find out, but obviously they had somehow.

"Daddy!" Ayanna cried. She had always managed to get her way with tears before, but this time she somehow knew it wouldn't work.

"No!" Iggy shouted. Toad looked up to Logan, whom Toad had somehow managed to find a friend in, for help. Logan sighed and walked forward to help pry the two children off Toad's legs. Toad bent down and started prying Ayanna off, who had gotten considerably strong because of her mutation, and Logan pried Iggy off. Toad carefully stood Ayanna next to Logan, who stopped her when she tried to chase after Toad.

"Take care o' them." Toad said quietly to Logan. Logan nodded as Toad turned away and ran out the door with nothing but the clothes on his back.

_** Four Years Later **_

"They still remember you." Toad jumped when he heard Logan say something behind him. Toad sighed and shook his head at Logan.

"No they don'." He whispered.

"I guess you're right, but they still ask about you." Logan replied. "Storm would have wanted them to know you." Logan was referring to the fact that Storm had died in a fight against Magneto and Pyro. Toad hadn't known about it until it was too late to do anything. He regretted it every day.

"I's fer their own safety." Toad said.

"No one's chasing you anymore, Toad. You're runnin' from dreams." Logan told him quietly before leaving.

_** That Night **_

Toad clung to the wall and watched as Jean and Logan put Iggy and Ayanna to bed. The two shared a room despite being different genders. Logan and Jean turned the light off, said good night, and left.

"Night Iggy." Ayanna whispered across the room.

"Night Ayanna." Iggy replied.

The two lay there with their eyes open for an hour.

"You asleep yet?" Ayanna asked in a loud whisper.

"No, you?" Iggy replied.

"No." Ayanna replied. The two were quiet for a few more minutes.

"Why d'you think Daddy left?" Ayanna asked Iggy quietly. Toad's stomach tightened.

"Mr. Logan said he was being chased by bad people and he left to keep us safe." Iggy replied. They were quiet for a few more minutes before Ayanna stood up and walked over to the window and opened it.

"What are you doing? It'll get cold!" Iggy got up and ran to his sister's side, and attempted to close the window again.

"I thought I saw something move! Maybe it's Daddy watching over us, keeping us safe from the bad men."Ayanna whispered excitedly. Iggy looked out the window, only to see nothing.

"No one's there." Iggy said stubbornly. "It's going to get cold. I'm closing the window." Iggy told his sister adamently. He slammed it shut perhaps a little too loudly. Logan stepped into the room a few minutes later.

"What are you two doing out of bed?" Logan demanded.

"I thought I saw something." Ayanna said, pointing to her window. Logan walked over, opened it (much to Iggy's annoyance) and stuck his head out to see Toad's foot being pulled in from over the roof. Logan couldn't help but grin as he pulled his head back inside. Turning to the two five year old's faces he hid the smile behind a serious face.

"You two stay here." He told them, knowing full well that they most likely wouldn't listen and follow anyways. They nodded anyhow and grinned like the angels they made themselves out to be. Logan ran out of the room, then up to the roof where he found Toad sitting leaning against a chimney that didn't have a fire going below it.

"They saw you." Logan said as he walked towards Toad. Toad simply sighed as he held his head.

"I know." Toad replied quietly after awhile.

"They're going to start asking about who you were." Logan stated. Toad simply sighed again. Logan knelt down to be eye level with Toad. Logan knew full well that Toad came to see the two children daily, as did many of the adult X-Men that had been around five years ago.

"I don' know wot t'do." Toad whispered. Logan looked carefully at Toad, only now being able to tell just how young he was. Despite the way Toad acted, all tough and hardened, he was really just a confused and lost guy trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Logan finally realized that Toad couldn't be any older than twenty-five.

"You could come say 'Hi'." Logan said quietly. "Like I said before, Toad, no one's chasing you anymore."

0o0o0o0

Logan opened the door to Ayanna and Iggy's shared room, checking to see if the two were asleep. He could see their forms in the beds but their breathing wasn't shallow enough. They were both still asleep, obviously hoping to be able to find out who or what had been outside their window.

"I know your awake, half-pints." Logan said. Ayanna jumped up and ran over to Logan, obviously hoping for an explanation. Her golden eyes hid nothing from Logan.

"You found out who was watching us?" Iggy asked with reluctant hope. Logan nodded his head as he stepped aside and pulled the door open even further, revealing Toad.

"He looks just like Ayanna!" Iggy gasped. Ayanna didn't say anything. She didn't know what to think. She had never before in her life seen anyone who had looked even remotely like her. She left Logan to walk towards Toad. She grabbed his hand and gently pulled him down so that she could look at him in his eyes, golden eyes to match her own.

"Daddy?" Ayanna asked quietly as she ran her hands through his carefully gelled hair. Logan knew how careful Toad was of his hair and was covering his laughter with a bout of coughing. Toad shot him a look to shut up.

"A long time ago I woz." Toad said quietly. "I can be again if yeh wan' me to." Toad finished even quieter, so quiet that only Ayanna could hear him. Her eyes filled up with tears as she wrapped her arms around Toad's neck, happy that once again she had a parent in her life.

_** FIN **_

Well. I rather liked writing that. I purposefully left it open-ended so that if I wanted I could do a sequel. I don't think I will, unless I get lots and lots of nice reviews from you awesome readers.


End file.
